Scientists release first footage of living black barreleye in mid-Atlantic deep sea

Scientists released first-ever footage of a living black barreleye, a deep-sea fish previously known only from specimens, filmed at over 700 meters in the mid-Atlantic. Schmidt Ocean Institute captured it with ROV SuBastian on July 7, 2026, in the Doldrums Transform Fracture Zone. Unlike most barreleyes, its eyes face forward; natural-position observation may aid future research. The expedition also filmed a bigfin squid with filamentous appendages up to eight meters long. Researchers note hydrothermal vent ecosystems there raise new questions about connectivity and colonization.